Curtain-fastener



J. KIRSCHBAUM.

CURTAINFASTENER. APPLICATION men mg. 1919.

1,304,489. Patented m 20, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN KIRSCHBAUM, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE CHASE COMPANIES INCORPORATED, OF WATERBURY,

CONNECTICUT.

cUR'reIiv-rasTENER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,' JOHN KIRSCHBAUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Curtain- Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent, in

Figure 1 a view in side elevation of a curtain-fastener constructed in accordance with my invention, and shown as applied to a section of a curtain.

"housing Fig. 2 a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 a reverse plan view thereof.

Fig. 4 a view in vertical longitudinal section on the line 14 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 a detached plan view of the springcarrying plate showing the locking-spring as mounted upon it.

Fig. 6 a detached view in side elevation of the post-member of the fastener.

My invention relates to an improved curtain-fastener particularly designed for use in fastening the curtains of automobiles, but adapted to be used in a variety of kindred situations, the object being to produce a compact, reliable and durable device of neat and attractive workmanship, convenient and easy to operate, and having the exposed surface of its button-member closed so as to exclude moisture and to prevent objects from being caught upon it.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a curtain-fastener having certain details of construction as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

,In carrying out my invention as herein shown, I employ an oblong outer plate or '5 having rounded sides and straight parallel ends and formed midway of its length and at a right angle to its major axis with a raised hollow oval boss I 6. The sides and ends of thesaid plate are formed with a continuous depending flange 7 which gives it the character of a housing. The side reaches of the said flange 7 are formed with integral depending assembling-prongs 8, and the end Specification of Letters Patent. ,P t t d M 20 1919 Application filed January 9, 1919.

Serial No. 270,386.

reaches thereof with shorter assemblingprongs 9.

This outer plate or housing 5 is imposed upon a spring-carrying plate 10 upon the ranged oval clearance-opening 13 having its major axis at a right angle to the major axis of the plate and registering with the oval entrance into the boss 6. Upon the plate 10 I mount a wire locking-spring composed of two parallel complementary arms Hand a loop 15 the ends of which latter ofiset beyond the respective arms which cross the ends of the opening 13 at a right angle thereto as clearly shown in Fig. 5, andalso stand across the ends of the entrance into the boss 6 in the same 'relation thereto as to thesaid opening 13. The locking-spring although mounted upon the plate 10, 'is' really located within the housing 5, as shown in Fig. 4. For preventing the lateral displacement of the springand positioning it upon the plate 10, the same islformed with two pairs of upstanding struck-up lugs 16 the respective pairs of which'are located on opposite sides of the opening13 and spaced apart so as to fall betweenthe arms 14 of the spring. The

plate is also formed with an upstanding positioning lug 17 which enters'one of the offsetting ends of'the loop 15 of the spring, as shown in Fig. 5.. The spring having been mounted upon thecplate 10, the said plate and housing are clamped together by the prongs 9 as described, and thereafter the said housing and plate are handled as one unitary par. i

10 as thus fastened together and forming a unitary part, are clamped upon the'c'urtain 18 whether the same is of fabric, leather or other material, by means of an inner or assembling-plate 19 substantially corresponding in outline a) the plate 10 e116 formed The housing 5 and spring carrying plate with slots 20 for the reception of the assembling-prongs 8, which, after passing through the slots 11 in the plate 10, pass through self-punctured openings in the curtain 18 and then through the said slots 20 in the plate 19 upon the lower face of which they are turned inward as shown in Fig. 3, whereby the curtain is clamped between the plates 10 and 19. The turned over prongs 9 of the housing 5 force portions of the curtain into holes 21 in the plate 19, as shown in Fig. 4, and so more firmly clench the cur tain and assist in preventing the buttonmember of the fastener from being shifted in position upon it. The plate 19 is also formed with a centrally arranged oval opening 22 having its major axis at a right angle to the major axis of the'plate 19 and registering with the oval opening 13 in the plate 10 and with the oval entrance into the interior of the boss 6. The plate 10 is by preference and as shown, struck downward around its opening 13 to form a bearing edge 23, as shown in Fig. 4. The parts above described, when mounted upon the curtain, form the button member of the fastener.

With such button-member I employ a one-pieee post-member or stud, comprising a conical head 25, a well defined annular channel 26 below the same, a shank 27, a nut 28 and a threaded stem 29, the channel 26 being adapted in size to receive those portions of the arms 1 1 of the spring which cross the oval openings 13 and 22 and the oval entrance into the boss 6. The upper edge of the channel 26 forms a sharp guardshoulder 30 the function of which will be hereinafter described. a

When the button-member of my improved fastener is pressed over the post-member thereof, the conical head 25 of the same temporarily spreads the spring arms 14 apart to permit the head 25 to enter the interior of the boss 6, after which they spring into the channel 26 at opposite points thereof and lock the button-member to the post-member of the fastener at two opposite points, so-that the operation of buttoning the curtain is effected by simply pressing the button-member upon the post-member until the arms ofthe spring have been entered into the channel of the post. To unbutton the curtain it is pulled in either direction in line with the major axis of the oval boss 6 of thehousing, against the ten sion of either arm 14: of the spring the other arm 14- of which is by this movement caused to move out of that portion of the channel 26 in the post in which ittis located. The button-member is now tilted or raised with respect to the'post-member to'cause the dis engaged arm of the spring to ride over the conical head of the post, the button-member at this "time rocking, as it were, upon the engaged arm of the spring upon a pivot until the button-member has been entirely disengaged from the post-member. This is a very easy and simple movement and rendered doubly convenient from the fact that the curtain may be pulled ineither direction for the removal of the button-member from the post-member in this manner. However, the sharp outer shoulder 30 of the channel 26 stands on constant guard to prevent either arm 14 of the spring from rid ing out of the recess in case the buttonmember of the fastener is tilted with respect to the post-member thereof prior to being pulled in one direction or the other in line with the major axis of the boss 6 and substantially in a plane at a right angle to the axis of the post-member. It follows that even if any strain upon the curtain should act to pull the button-member, as dc 8 scribed, with respect to the post-member, the former would still be held in engage ment with the latter by the engagement of one arm of the spring-with the shoulder of the recess, inasmuch as the unbuttoning of the fastener requires two distinct movements; namely, a longitudinal movement and a rocking or tilting movement.

I claim 1. In, a curtainefastener, the combination with post-member having an annular recess the outer edge of which forms a guardshoulder, of a button-member having an oblong opening for the reception of the said post-member, and a locking-spring comprising two arms adapted to enter opposite points in the said recess in the post-member and normally standing across the ends of'the said oblong opening of the button-member at a right angle to the major axis thereof, whereby the pulling of the buttonanember in one direction or the other in line with the major axis of the said oblong opening and substantially at a right angle to the axis of the said post-n'iember for disengaging one or the other of the said arms from the said guard-shoulder, is a condition precedent to the removal of the button-men'iber from the post-member.

2. In a curtaiirfastener, thecombination with apost-member having an annular recess the outer edge of which forms a guardshoulder, of a button-member comprising a housing having an oval boss for the rec-cption of the head of the said post, and a locking-spring comprising two arms adapted to enter port-ions of the said annular recess and normally standing across the ends of the entrance to the said boss at a right angle to the major axis thereof, whereby when the buttonemember is pulled in one direction or the other in line with the said boss and at substantially a right anglev to the axis of the post-men'iber and tilted, one or the other of thevsaiduarms of thespring is disengaged from the said guard-shoulder and permits the button-member and postmember to be separated.

3. In a curtain-fastener, the combination with apost-member having an annular recess the outer edge of which forms a guardshoulder, of a button-member comprising an outer plate or housing having an oval boss standing at a right angle to its major axis, and a spring comprising two arms normally standing across the ends of the entrance into the said boss at a right angle to the major axis thereof and forcibly separated by the head on the post-member to permit the said head to enter the said boss in which it is retained by the entrance. of the said arms into the said recess, whereby the pulling of the button-member in one direction or the other in line with the major axis of the said oblong opening and substantially at a right angle to the axis of the said post-member for disengaging one or the other of the said arms from the said guardshoulder, is a condition precedent to the removal of the button-member from the post-member.

4. In a curtain-fastener, the combination with a post-member having an annular recess, of a button-member comprising a housing having an oval boss, a spring-carrying plate to which the said housing is fastened and which has a clearance-opening registering with the oval entrance into the said boss, anda spring mounted upon the said plate and having two arms normally standing across the ends of the entrance into the said boss at a right angle to the major axis thereof; and an assembling-plate to which the housing is secured, the curtain being interposed between the spring-carrying plate and the said assembling-plate.

5. In a curtain-fastener, the combination with a post-member having an annular recess, of a button-member comprising an outer plate or housing and a spring-carrying plate, the former having an oval boss and a depending flange furnished with prongs, and the latter having a clearance-opening registering with the entrance to the said boss, and with slots for the reception of the said prongs by which the said housing and plate are fastened together to form a unitary part, a spring interposeed between the said housing and plate and having two arms normally extending across the entrance into the'said boss at a right angle to the major axis thereof, and adapted to enter the recess in the head, and an assembling-plate having an opening for the passage of the post-member and adapted to receive prongs of the said housing, whereby the button-member of the fastener is mounted upon the curtain which is clamped between the spring-carrying plate and the assembling-plate.

6. In a curtain fastener, the combination with a post-member having an annular recess, of a button-member comprising an oblong housing formed with a closed oval boss arranged with its major axis at a right angle to the major axis of the housing, an oblong spring-carrying plate having an oblong opening registering with the entrance to the said boss, a spring mounted upon the said plate and having two arms arranged to normally extend across the ends of the entrance to the said boss at a right angle to the major axis thereof, and an oblong assembling-plate adapted to have, the housing fastened to it and formed with an opening for the passage through it of the post-member for the access thereof to the interior of the boss through the opening in the spring-carrying plate.

7 In a curtain-fastener, the combination with a post-member having an annular recess the outer edge of which forms a guard shoulder, of a button-member having an oblong opening for the reception of the said post-member, and a locking spring comprising two arms adapted to enter the said recess in the post-member and normally standing across the ends of the oblong opening of the button-member at a right-an le to the major axis thereof whereby the pulling of the button-member in one direction or the other in line with the major axis of the said oblong opening and substantially at a right angle to the axis of the said post-member, is a condition precedent to the removalof the buttonmember from the post-member;

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN KIRSCHBAUM.

Witnesses:

A. C. REoKnn, J. S. 'NEAGLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

